From Prison to Purpose: The Power of Second Chances
After 15 years in and out of prison, Dave Dahl returned to his family's bakery and helped build Dave's Killer Bread into a nationally recognized brand that now employs hundreds of formerly incarcerated people through its Second Chance Employment program. Across the country, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul continues its centuries-old mission of humble service, with volunteers feeding, clothing, and supporting the poor in communities nationwide. These stories echo the Gospel's call to let actions speak louder than words.
"When you've been given a second chance, you want to give second chances."
— Dave Dahl
Reflection
The readings for this Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time speak powerfully about the gap between saying and doing. In the Gospel, Jesus tells of a father who asked his two sons to work in the vineyard. One refused but later changed his mind and went. The other promised to go but never did. "Which of the two did the father's will?" Jesus asks. The answer is obvious: the one who acted, not the one who merely spoke. The prophet Ezekiel reinforces this message: when someone turns from their wrongdoing and chooses what is right, that person finds life. Change is not measured in intentions but in actions. Dave Dahl's story embodies this truth. After 15 years in and out of prison, he did not just promise to change; he changed. He walked into his family's bakery, rolled up his sleeves, and put his hands in the dough. The bread he created became a nationally recognized brand, but more importantly, it became a vehicle for giving others what he had received: a second chance. Dave's Killer Bread now employs hundreds of formerly incarcerated people, offering them the same transformation he experienced. Actions spoke louder than any words of remorse ever could. St. Paul's letter to the Philippians calls us to the same humility that Christ showed, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. This self-emptying humility is the heart of today's feast day, St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th-century French priest who devoted his life to the poor and marginalized. The Society that bears his name continues that mission today, with volunteers across the globe feeding, clothing, and supporting those in need. They do not serve with fanfare but with the quiet, humble consistency that the psalmist describes as God's own compassion. These stories remind us that transformation is always possible and that service is its highest expression. The son who initially said no but then went to work in the vineyard is the image of every person who has stumbled, faced their own failings, and chosen to act differently. Whether through a baker who turned his life around and now offers employment to the formerly incarcerated, or through volunteers who quietly serve the poor with no thought of recognition, the readings challenge us to close the gap between what we say and what we do. The vineyard is open. The question is whether we will go.